World of Tanks Chronicles: The Road to the IS-7
by Smartguy96
Summary: In a war-torn world, Russian tanker Dimitry Konavalov fights for his homeland. Things are not as they seem, and when history takes a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse, Dimitry finds himself fighting just to stay alive. Rated T for violence and mild language.
1. Assignment

**AN: A few years ago there were a series of stories on the World of tanks Forums known as the World of Tanks chronicles that comprised the bulk of all fanfiction. None were ever completed. This is a re-imagining of that universe and in the spirit of the original other stories set in the same continuity are welcome. I have taken some liberty with history to justify the existence of many of the in-game vehicles so just bear with me. Enjoy! Rated T for violence and some language**

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**0930: Malinovka training grounds; combat field**

"Enemy right, bearing 330 range 120 meters! Angling for attack"

"Turning turret to engage... Gunfire! Reverse!"

"Backing off! Shit too late!" DIIIIING! The blunt tipped low velocity (BTLV) training round glanced off the side of my MS-1's turret.

"Ricochet, no damage" the training referee said over the radio, "carry on"

I grasped the turret control an stared down the gunsight, aiming just to the left of my opponent's gun, at the ammo rack in the back of his turret. "Firing!" There was a loud bang, followed by the distinctive sound of a BTLV round impacting metal. Through the smoke, I could just make out the white flag that had popped out of the other MS-1's turret.

"Confirmed kill, all enemies destroyed, blue team wins" came the calm voice of the referee.

Another voice, that of our commander Serzhent Kopat, came over the radio. "Congratulations on completing your training, come see me after debriefs for your assignments"

**1000 hours: Malinovka training grounds; Serzhent Kopat's office**

Kopat addressed my driver first. "You are assigned to the clan USSRM" USSR Moscow defenders, though they are currently bolstering the defenses at Kiev. you will be driving tank 12, a BT-2. A truck is waiting for you. It leaves at 1130. Dismissed!"

"Sir yes sir!" He replied and left the room.

Next, Kopat turned to me. As for you, congrats on making top of the class. We need good commanders like you at USSRS, USSR Smolensk defenders, better known as USSR Ensk defenders but don't ask me how it got that way. You will be driving tank 22, a T-26" I smiled at that, T-26 crews Eventually get to drive heavy tanks, perfect for my strategic mind. "There is a convoy leaving at 1530. You are to join with them. Dismissed!"

"Tank you sir"

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**AN: On October 1, 2013, author Tom Clancy Died at age 66. Clancy's incredible novels were a major inspiration to my writing so I dedicate this story to his memory. I know this chapter was short but they will get longer, I promise. Constructive criticism is welcome. **

**До свидания (until we meet again)**


	2. Teammates

**1930: Smolensk command center; briefing room**

The first thing that struck me about Smolensk was its sheer size for being only one building. The 1 kilometer walk from the hangars to the briefing room ha me late for orientation. All of the new arrivals were already there, commanders and drivers I recognized from Malinovka, along with some who trained elsewhere, and gunners, loaders, and radiomen who had their own training facilities in classified locations in the east. Most notable was the female soldiers, we had gotten desperate and they now made up about 10% of our military force these days.

At the center of the room stood a soldier wearing the insignia of a section commander. "Welcome to Smolensk. My name is Mayor Rostislav Borzov and I am your commanding officer. I would like to tell you what to expect from combat. In training, you either hit the enemy and penetrated their armor, killing them or ricocheted and did no damage. In combat, you can also penetrate and have the round go clean through the vehicle without doing any damage, or hit a module and damage it but not to the point of forcing a withdrawal. With that done, I will dismiss you. Vehicles 1-30 are in hangar 1, 31-60 are in hangar 2, and 61-90 are in hangar 3. If you do not know your assignment, talk to me after the briefing. If you did not receive your equipment, speak with the quartermaster in the armory. Otherwise, I would suggest you head to the hangar and familiarize yourself with your vehicle and crew. Dismissed!"

As I stood to leave, someone caught my eye. An attractive woman with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes on the other side if the room glanced in my direction and smiled at me. Where do I know her from? I asked myself. I made a mental note to find her later and went to the armory to retrieve my gear.

**2015: Smolensk command center; armory**

I walked into the armory and saluted the Serzhent inside. "I'm here to retrieve my gear sir."

"Name?"

"Dimitry Konavalov"

"One moment please." He walked into the back room and returned with a small rucksack. "In this bag is a bandolier with space for a Tokarev pistol and three extra clips and five grenades. Pistols and ammo are on the lockers on the left, grenades on the right. Pick your own load out."

"Thank you sir." I walked to the pistols first. Because manufacturing standards were a little lax, I had to try 5 pistols before finding one that felt right in my hand. Next I walked over to the boxes of grenades, selecting 3 anti-tank grenades and 2 anti-personal. I checked the clock: 2030, one and a half hours untill I was officially off-duty. I decided to head to the hangar and meet with my crew.

**2045: Smolensk command center; hangar 1**

As promised, I found my T-26 parked in stall 22. In stall 23 was another T-26, and climbing out of the command we'd hatch was the woman I had seen earlier. I froze, dumbstruck by how familiar she looked until I saw the name tag on her uniform, and I remembered. "Katerina?!" I exclaimed. "Katerina Ramius?! I haven't seen you since your family moved to polaryarnny when we were 10."

She spun around, confused and I had a moment of panic thinking I had the wrong person, or worse, she didn't remember. But then she saw my name tag an her face lit up with recognition. "Dimitry Konavalov! What are the odds?"

"Slim to none I'm sure. We should meet up later."

"Yes let's. see you around."

Suddenly there was another voice behind me. "Who was that commander?" The mysterious figure asked.

Startled, I spins around. "Who are you," I barked more harshly than intended.

"Efreitor Aleksander Kalashnikov! Gunner, tank 22! Sir!"

"In that case I'm your commander," I extended my hand and he took it. Mladshiy Serzhent Dimitry Konavalov. Sorry I yelled at you, but I was startled. That was my childhood friend Katerina."

"That's okay. Let me introduce you to our driver." He turned around and called out, "Ivan! The commander's here."

A younger man, not much older than 20 hurried over from where he was crouching over the T-26's engine. "Sorry sir," he said with a salute, which I returned. "I had to deal with a coolant leak. Efreitor Ivan Yamotovich! Driver, tank 22! Sir!"

I extended my hand, which he took. "Mladshiy Serzhent Dimitry Konavalov. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, I just finished my maintenance so we're off duty untill 0700 tomorrow.

"Then you're both dismissed until then. Tomorrow we'll run some training drills."

"Yes sir!"

**2100: Smolensk command center; firing range**

I still had an hour before going off alert, so I went to the firing range to get a handle on my new pistol. I set the target to 45 meters, raised my pistol and fired a three round burst. All three rounds landed high and to the right. I adjusted my aim and fired again. This time all three rounds landed in the center. Confident I had the correct sight picture correct, I holstered my weapon and replaced the target with a fresh one. As soon as the new target was at the correct distance, I quickly brought the gun up and fired the five remaining rounds. Four hit the center and one, presumably the first shot, landed low.

Satisfied with my quick-draw, I replaced the clip and swung my body around and fired off another fie rounds simulating a snap shot scenario. More direct hits. Satisfied with my new weapon and finally off duty, I turned and jogged to the barracks to get some sleep.

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**AN: I know exposition can be boring at times but I'll try to keep it interesting for you or at least short. As always, constructive criticism is welcome.**

******До свидания**


	3. Bonding

**0600: Smolensk command center; barracks**

Units one and three, consisting of vehicles 1-15 and 31-45 respectively, had the morning patrol, but even so revile came too early as it often does. Unit five would relieve unit one at 0900, and my unit, unit two would relieve unit three at 0930 once five was in position. That gave me 3 and a half hours to get ready, actually just three considering the half hour it takes to organize the entire company.

According to the schedule, my unit didn't get the showers for another hour, owing to the earlier roll out of unit five. This gave me time to review the standard patrol pattern and combat plan. Patrols consist of one heavy unit (one, five, or six) in the field and one light unit (two, three, or four) in the town. The town patrol is split into five platoons of three. In combat, two heavy and one light unit deploy to the field and another light unit patrols the city guarding the flank. I was assigned to unit two platoon three, consisting of tanks 22 (myself), 23 (Katerina's T-28), and 24 (A BT-2 crew I hadn't yet seen), callsigns hammer 7, hammer 8 and hammer 9, respectively.

**0745: Smolensk command center; mess hall**

"Dimitry!" Someone called over the general din of the mess. I looked to my right at Katerina, who waved me over from across the mess hall.

"Hey Kat," I said to her as I sat down.

"Morning," she replied. "This is my gunner, Aleksandra Kosanovka." She gestured towards the thin brunette at her side. "And Valentina Emmetovich, my driver," she added, indicating the other woman.

At that moment I spotted my own crew. "Aleksander! Ivan!" I called, waving them over with no response. "Efritor Kalashnikov," I tried. This time He looked over. "Over here!"

He strolled over with Ivan in tow. "Morning commander."

"Morning boys. I'd like you to meet my childhood friend Katerina Ramius, and her crew, Aleksandra Kosanovka and Valentina Emmetovich. They will be one of our platoonmates."

"Any the other?"

"I haven't met them yet. Some guys in a BT-2."

"I have," Valentina interjected. "Commander's an older fellow by the name of Sergey Nicolaivich, but I forgot the names of the rest of the crew. I'm horrible with names."

"That's okay, so am I," I said with a slight smile, "though I'd be hard pressed to forget someone like you."

"Wow commander," said Ivan, "you really have a way with women."

"I try."

"If you think that's bad," said Katerina, "you should have seen him with that one French girl, what was her name again?"

"Maria Villenouves."

"Yeah her. I came to visit Dim while he was in basic, right before I started my own training, and we went to this nightclub in town..."

I sighed inwardly as she recited every little detail of the encounter. By the time the story was finished, everyone was laughing at the ridiculousness of the pickup lines I had used and the fact that they actually worked.

Aleksandra jumped in with a story of her own, followed quickly by Ivan. The crazy tales kept flowing like cheap vodka at a college party and we were all getting along fantastically. Before we knew it, it was time to go out on our patrol.

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**AN: I know, another short chapter but they will get longer. Now that the exposition is out of the way I can be lighter on the jump-cuts. Coming up next: we finally get to see the tanks in action. Hopefully the next two chapters will be ready this weekend.**

**До свидания**


	4. Roll Out

**0900: Smolensk Command Center; hangar 1**

"Hammer 8, Hammer 9, Hammer 7, radio check, over"

"Hammer 8, radio check satisfactory. All pre-combat checks complete"

"Hammer 9, read you loud and clear 7. Ready to roll."

"Hammer Lead, platoon 3 ready to go."

"Platoon 3, Hammer lead roger. All other platoons are ready, proceed to staging point."

"Platoon 3 rolling." I turned to Ivan and ordered him to move out. Our T-26's engine coughed to life and Ivan did his best to be smooth as we travelled to the staging point.

**0925: Smolensk; staging point**

"Sickle lead, Hammer squad at staging," our unit commander said over the radio, starting the process of transitioning the guard. "Ready to relieve you."

"Hammer lead, Sickle lead roger. Have your men meet up with mine in the patrol areas. I'll have my platoons return to staging once yours replace them."

"Hammer lead, copy. All right boys, you heard him. Break into platoons and proceed to your patrol area. Switch to platoon frequencies and monitor general, platoon leaders confirm."

"Proceed to patrol zone, Switch to platoon frequency and monitor general. Platoon 3" I confirmed.

"Platoon 3, readback correct. Clear to break, good hunting."

"You too." I flipped to my platoon's radio frequency and looked down at my map to figure out our patrol route. "The street we are on is just west of a courtyard," I explained to my platoonmates. "Our patrol zone extends all the way up the street which is about 800 meters and about 800 meters west of that. The southern end is the edge of the city an the northern edge is the street that this one ends at. The eastern edge is the courtyard I mentioned and the western edge is bounded by a large factory. Hammer 9 you know the area best so you have point, hammer 8 and myself will follow you. Please make sure we can at least see down all of the alleyways."

"Hammer 9 roger, follow me"

**1030: Smolensk; city center**

Most crews in defensive posts can go days or even weeks before seeing combat. We had been on patrol for a little more than an hour when we got our first glimpse of the enemy. As we passed an alleyway leading into the courtyard for probably the fifth time that day, Sergey brought his BT-2 to a sudden stop. "Contact," he called over the radio. "Five panzer II's in the courtyard. They spotted us!" As I watched, the BT-2 lurched forward less than a meter before drifting back to a stop. "Shit!" Sergey cursed, "our transmission just gave out."

The exposed side of the BT-2 made an inviting target that the Germans quickly capitalized on. The lead 3 tanks opened fire, 2cm flak rounds ripping through the soft sides of our comrade's vehicle. "They got our engine!" Sergey cried, "Bail..." The second salvo must have taken out the radio because the desperate cry for help was replaced with static. Through my viewports, I say Sergey and his crew clamber out of the disabled vehicle seconds before the third salvo detonated the ammo, tossing the 1.5 ton turret 7 meters into the air, jus barely missing the retreating crew as it slammed back to earth.

"Mayday! Mayday!" I called over the general frequency. "Hammer 7-9 is under attack. Five 's at point H7. Request assistance."

We waited a few tense seconds for a reply only to be greeted by static and broken transmissions from other groups seemingly engaged in their own battles. "It's no good, the buildings are blocking our transmissions," explained Katerina. "We're on our own."

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**AN: Sorry this took so much longer than promised. Life has been cray and I only write when I feel like it, otherwise I am never happy with the result. I'll try to be faster but no promises.**


	5. First Engagement

**AN: This chapter contains scenes of intense combat and non-graphic loss of life. You have been warned**

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**1030: Smolensk; city center**

"Looks like we have to do this ourselves," I said to Katerina. "You get the lead two, I'll Handle the tail end."

"Roger that"

I returned to my own situation, making a quick assessment. Our tank extended far enough beyond the wall to our left that we could hit the second from the rear but not the tail vehicle. "Alex, target the fourth in line. Gunner, shot, tank!" I added to make the order official.

I could dimly make out the sound of the breech closing as a round was loaded, then Alex shouted, "up!" This was quickly followed by, "Identified," as he found the target in his gunsights.

"Fire!" I ordered.

"On the way!" Alex confirmed before pulling the trigger, a procedure designed to give me a chance to rescind the order in case of a mistake. It wasn't, so I said nothing and he took the shot.

The 37mm gun kicked back with a loud crack, simultaneously launching the shot at the enemy and ejecting the spent casing, which clanged against the metal floor of the turret. Through my viewport, I could see the round hit the Pz II's engine deck and skip off. "Ricochet." I said. "Target, reengage."

"Up!"

"Fire"

"On the way!"

The second round slammed into the engine bay, punching through the engine and disabling it. The crew bailed out and ran for cover. "Target, cease fire. Gunner, traverse left to 90 degrees and reload. Driver, ahead slow."

"Gotcha!" Katerina yelled over the radio. Looking out my right viewport, I saw the engine of her target explode and the crew bail out.

"Nice shot 8," I said to her before returning my attention to the enemy that was about to come into sight around the corner. "Driver, halt!" I ordered as soon as I could see him. "Gunner, shot, tank"

"Identified!"

I waited an extra half second for the chassis to stop rocking before giving the final command in the sequence. During the pause, the Pz. II was able to get a few rounds off. "Fire!" I ordered, ignoring the maelstrom of 2cm flak rounds glancing off our gun mantle.

"On the way!"

For the third time that day, we were momentarily deafened by the firing of the gun. The round flew true, striking the turret of the Pz II and knocking it out. The concussive force of the impact must have killed the turret crew, I told myself as only the driver escaped. "Target, cease fire." The other two tanks turned and fled, realizing their converted AA guns didn't stand a chance against our armor.

"Hammer 7, hammer 8. The remaining enemies are retreating. Should we pursue?" Katerina asked.

"Affirmative," I replied. "Driver, track left, ahead full. Follow the Germans."

Ivan whipped the T-26 around faster than I ever thought possible and slammed the tank into full speed. "Hang on guys," He called up into the turret, "This could get rough."

Sure enough, as soon as he said that, that right track hit a small pile of dirt and came off the ground. I clenched my teeth to avoid biting myself as the vehicle slammed back down. Our track groaned at the sudden reapplication of weight, but held together. "Target the rear vehicle" I spat through clenched teeth, praying I wouldn't take my own tongue off trying to speak if we hit another bump. "Gunner, shot, tank"

"Identified"

"Fire!"

"On the way!"

Firing from a tank bounding along at full speed is a difficult proposition at best, so I was disappointed but not surprised when our round flew wide, striking the ground a meter and a half to the right of the target. "Missed," I said to Alex. "Target, reengage."

"Up!"

"Fire"

"On the way!"

Our 37mm round hit the Pz II in the right track, throwing it out of alignment and causing the tank to swerve into our path. "Driver track left!" I shouted. Ivan swerved our T-26 around the out of control vehicle. Hearing a large explosion behind me, I looked out my rear viewport, fearing Katerina's tank had been hit. Luckily, the explosion was from the disabled German tank, which Katerina had put a shell into as she sped past, igniting the ammo. The explosion killed the entire crew and no one came out. "Target the remaining vehicle," I ordered. "Gunner, shot, tank!"

"Identified!"

Just as I started to give the order to fire, our target was engulfed in a massive explosion, the shockwave lifting the front of my vehicle off the ground. "What the hell was that?" Ivan exclaimed. I looked into the forest for the culprit and saw exactly what I had expected.

"KV-2," I told him. The 152mm M-10T howitzer shell had penetrated the thin side of the Pz II and detonated on impact with the engine block. The resulting explosion had literally ripped the tank apart at the welds. "Unidentified KV-2, Hammer 7-8, watch your fire. Friendlies in the area," I said over the radio

"Hammer 7-8, star 3 sorry about that. Didn't see you there. Woah! Enemy sighted, two Pz IV's, looks like Ausf. F's. Request assistance."

"Star 3, hammer 7-8, on the way," I told him. "Ivan, get behind them. Alex, target his tracks, we don't have much chance to penetrate but we can still immobilize him." Ivan did as told, bringing us around behind the enemy unnoticed while he focused on our larger comrade. "Fire!" I ordered, forgetting proper procedure in the heat of battle.

"On the way!"

The round hit the enemy tank solidly in the right idler wheel, blowing it off and taking the track with it. "Star 3, ready to fire, get clear," Our comrade said over the radio before I ordered the next shot. "Driver, Track left, ahead full," I ordered instead. "Star 3, Hammer 7 is clear," I said as we passed through 25 meters from the target.

"Firing!" The thunderous boom of the 152mm gun briefly drowned out all else, followed by a spectacular explosion as the round struck home.

Once the smoke cleared, I saw the other Panzer IV right next to our KV-2, gun turned to face him. "Shit! Take him out now!" I shouted. Unsurprisingly, the rushed shot missed. His, on the other hand, didn't. The 75mm round struck the KV-2 in the side of the turret and detonated the ammo stored inside. The explosive force of so many 152mm HE shells detonating at once blew the turret apart in a massive explosion that engulfed the Pz IV as well.

"Holy shit!" Someone yelled over the radio. "Star 3 just bought it!"

"Get a rescue crew out there now," said someone else.

"Negative," replied the first, "No way anyone survived that."

Finally out of immediate combat, I was able to take stock of the situation for the first time. "There's a lot of radio chatter," I told my crew, "Looks like the German are launching a massive offensive. Crimson company, that's another heavy squadron, has been deployed and most of hammer is pinned in the city by smaller vehicles. We're the only lights in the forest."

"You got all that from a few seconds of radio chatter?" asked Katerina.

"Sort of, I'll explain later."

"Break! Break!" An unidentified voice came through the radio. "Hammer 7-8 this is Mayor Borzov."

"Go ahead Mayor," I responded.

"Am I understanding the radio correctly, you are behind the enemy formation?"

"Affirmative!"

"Great! As best we can tell, they have deployed everything in this assault. If you head north, you should find their command post relatively unguarded. Take out anything you can. The command structure itself is probably too armored for your guns, but if you can take out their fuel and/or ammo supply, we can force them to withdraw."

"Consider it done sir." I turned back to my platoon. "Hammer 8, Hammer 7. Head north we're going after their supply depot as instructed."

"Right behind you 7."

With the enemy engaged elsewhere, it only took a few minutes of uninterrupted driving to reach the base. "Halt," I ordered as soon as the makeshift base, a command center set up in a captured bunker with an exposed staging area, came into view. "Load HE." I heard more than saw Alex carefully eject the live round and replace it with an HE shell.

"HE up!" he confirmed.

"Gunners," I said addressing both mine and Katerina's, "do you think you can hit the antennas on top of their command post?"

"Not a prayer," both Alex and Aleksandra said at the same time. Only now did it hit me that both gunners had the same name. I pushed the thought aside and set about looking for a softer target to hit.

"Bingo!" I exclaimed. "Two clusters of fuel trucks at 2 o'clock. Kat, you take the left group, we'll take the right. One round HE fire on my fire."

"Ready when you are," She replied.

"Gunner, explosive, fuel truck!" I ordered, tripping slightly on the unfamiliar phrase.

"Identified!"

"Fire!"

"On the way!" Aleksandra was on the ball, firing just a fraction of a second after us. Both clusters of soft skinned fuel trucks went up in flames.

"Great shots," I told both of them. "Let's move farther in and find more targets." Sure enough, just behind the command bunker was a shed containing the German ammo supply. "All vehicles, target ammo shed, one round HE, ready report," I ordered, setting up for simultaneous shots from both tanks.

"Identified!" Alex shouted across the turret to me.

"Hammer 8, ready to fire," Katerina reported.

"Fire!" I ordered. Two 37mm HE shells hit the shed at the same instant, igniting the volatile propellant in the stored ammo. The shed was engulfed in a massive explosion, pieces of wood hitting our two tanks and bouncing harmlessly off.

"Hammer 7-8, Crimson lead," the radio crackled to life.

"Go for hammer 7-8"

"Mayor Borzov briefed me on your location. The enemy force is retreating, recommend you get in cover."

"Crimson lead, Hammer 7-8 roger, thanks for the heads up." I looked for a place to hide, settling on a line of large bushes to our right. "Hammer 8, hammer 7. Head for the bushes to our 2 o'clock. Deploy camo net and wait."

"Right behind you," Katerina confirmed. We headed into the bushes, deployed our camo nets, shit off our engines, and waited in silence. I saw ground troops retreating in half-tracks but held fire, deciding our concealment was more important. A few minutes later the German armored division came rushing past, surrounded by shell splashes from the pursuing soviets.

"Display colors," I ordered once the enemy was out of sight. Katerina and myself stick our heads out of the commander's cupola, waving red flags to show our allegiance. The commander of one of the KV-2's who was also looking outside saw us and saluted, signaling us to take cover. For our assistance in the victory, we were treated to a front row seat as the three KV-2's from crimson company and surviving two from star lay waste to what was left of the German outpost.

"Enemy base completely destroyed," one of the KV-2's reported when the task was complete."

"All vehicles involved in combat return to base. Two new companies will take over the patrol," mayor Borzov ordered.

"Hammer 7-8 copy, RTB," I confirmed. "Driver move out. Lets go home."

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**AN: Hope you enjoyed the first major engagement of the series. I have a general direction I am headed with this but not the details so the next chapter might be a little while. Coming up next: Why the tier system exists and other mechanics.****  
**

******До свидания**


	6. Promotion

**1200: Smolensk Command center; Hammer company briefing room**

Mine and Katerina's tanks were the farthest from base when the battle ended so we were the last to arrive for debriefing. When we walked in, we were greeted with thunderous applause. "Ladies and gentleman," Mayor Borzov shouted from the front of the room, ""the crews that single handedly pushed back the German offensive, Katerina Ramius and Dimitry Konavalov! Will all six of you please step forward."

"Sir!" I said with a salute as I walked towards him.

"Serzhent Dimitry Konavalov, Serzhent Katerina Ramius, Efreitor Aleksander Kalishnikov, Efreitor Ivan Yamotovich, Efreitor Aleksandra Kosanovka, Efrietor Valentina Emmetovich. For bravery in the defense of the motherland, you are all awarded the medal for merit in combat. Pending approval by command, to are also promoted and transferred to the next tier of vehicle."

The tiers Borzov was referring to are a way to classify tanks. Tanks from every nation are separated into tiers based on their performance. Tier 1 tanks are generally not very combat capable and used for training only. Our T-26 is a tier 2, the lowest that will be deployed. Most front line tanks like KV-1's T-34's and German Pz IV's are considered tier 5. The few exceptions are the Pz III, which is only a tier 4 because its gun is much weaker, and the KV-2, which is a tier 6 Due to the monstrous 152mm howitzer. Vehicles of higher tiers are in development, but none have been deployed yet except the German Tiger and Panther, both tier 7.

"Thank you sir!" the six of us said together.

"You're welcome," Mayor Borzov responded shaking everyone's hand as we stepped down. "Now, the next order of business," he continued. "Scouts have followed the Germans we pushed back. Thee have set up camp in the mining town of Pagorki, 70 kilometers north of here. Star, Crimson, and Hammer companies will be dispatched to take them out tomorrow. Normally We don't send people right back into combat, but I want the KV-2's and out other heavy group doesn't have any."

"So why us and not another light unit?" someone asked.

"All of the light units are comprised of new crews, as usual. However, you are the only ones with combat experience and I can't have complete newbies on this mission. A full briefing will be provided before you roll out tomorrow. Dismissed!"

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**Very short chapter I know, but it is split for coherence. The next two will also be put up tonight.**


	7. Upgrades

**1800: Smolensk command center; Mayor Borzov's office**

All six of us were called into Mayor Borzov's office just hours after the debriefing "Your promotion has been approved," Borzov told us.

"So fast?" Katerina asked, incredulous. The overworked military bureaucracy was infamous for slow responses.

"We desperately need both you and your vehicles so the request was sent with high priority. Command saw the logic and approved. That or they just wanted to shut us up but I didn't say that." We all had a laugh at that one. "Anyway," Borzov continued, "you are both being assigned to T-46's. they are pretty well upgraded but there is a slight complication. The garage manager will explain more."

"Tank you sir!" Katerina and I both said.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Borzov interjected before we could leave. "All of you are also promoted by one rank. Starshiny Serzhent for the commanders and Mlashdy Serzhent for the crews."

"Thank you sir!" said all six of us this time.

"You should go to the garage now. Dismissed!"

"Yes sir!" We all stood and saluted before heading out.

**1810 Smolensk Command center; maintenance hangar**

Walking into the maintenance, by eyes were immediately drawn to a large tank sitig in the corner. The strange vehicle had a rounded turret with what looked like a T-34-85 gun and a very solid looking front end tapered slightly towards the driver's viewport. "I see you noticed the IS-1," said someone.

"Who are you?" I questioned.

"Viktor Tzarnov, garage manager" the mysterious figure responded, stepping into view. "That tank you are admiring is a failure, by the way. It was supposed to be a tier 7 capable of facing off against a Tiger, but the 85mm gun isn't strong enough for the job. We are currently developing the IS-2, a similar chassis with a variant of the 122mm A-19 field gun."

I passed for a moment, imagining what it would be like to command such a monster. "My name is Starshiny Serzhent Dimitry Konavalov, and this is my comrade, Starshiny Serzhent Katerina Ramius," I told him, pushing the distracting thought away for the time being. "We were told to talk to you about acquiring new tanks.

"The heroes of Smolensk!" Viktor said to us, beaming. "Mayor Borzov told me about you. There is a slight complication. We have two T-46's ready for you, both upgraded partly, but they are not the same. One has a more powerful engine snagged off a prototype, but it is so heavy we had to use a 37mm autocannon to avoid overloading the suspension. The other has a slightly weaker engine, but packs a more potent 45mm gun."

"I'll take the one with the better engine, I didn't particularly enjoy just chasing you around last battle," Katerina said with a laugh.

"Maybe if you had some initiative that wouldn't have happened," I joked back.

At that moment Viktor jumped in. "I hate to break up this unfolded lie story, but I need to get this done and take care of other things."

"Very well," I said. "I'm taking the one with the 47mm. Put that in stall 22. The other goes in stall 23."

"I'll have someone take them over right away," Viktor said to us.

"Thanks," I told him. See ya around."

"Later!"

"Come on Kat. We're late for dinner," I said, walking away.

* * *

**AN: A little bit more exposition but I had to explain some things. Again, this is split for coherence, one more to go tonight.**


	8. Bonding II

**1825: Smolensk Command Center; Mess hall**

"Dim! Kat!" someone called out to us as we looked for a place to sit. Glancing left, I saw both of our crews sitting together. A slim smile crossed my face when I saw Ivan and Aleksandra sitting unusually close to each other, but I decided not to press the issue.

"What's up guys," I said, sitting down with them. Katerina sat next to me.

"Not much," Ivan answered. "We were just..." he trailed, suddenly finding his plate very interesting.

"Don't be so nervous all the time," Aleksandra said to him. "The commanders are pretty cool people.

"It's not them," Alexander jumped in. Damn that's going to be confusing. "It's you."

"Something we should know?" Katerina asked with a mischievous smirk.

"No sir!" Ivan responded, suddenly very serious.

"Relax, man," said Valentina, who ha been silent until now. "It's not that bad, you should have seen Kat and Dim going at it earlier. I'm betting they end up married before the war's end.

Even though there was never anything romantic between Kat and me, I couldn't help but blush at that statement. "See, he knows it's true," Alexander said with a trollish grin.

"Shut up!" I yelled, only half serious.

"Besides, if you didn't insist on rushing headlong into everything you might be more successful too," said Ivan.

"What's got you so relaxed all of a sudden?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Looking down, I noticed the clear liquid in a small glass next to him. "Is that vodka?" I asked.

"Well...I...uhh..." He stammered, red faced.

"Relax bud," I told him. We're not gonna get called up tonight, they need us fresh for the assault. Besides," I added, holding up a bottle from my own rations, "After this morning, we've earned the right to celebrate a little." I poured six shots and handed one to each member of our crews. "May your shells fly straight, your movements be swift and your armor hold fast." I said, holding up my glass. "To victory! And to our glorious motherland!" I concluded.

"Victory!" the rest of the table responded. Tomorrow is going to go well, I can feel it.

**2130: Smolensk Command Center; Barracks**

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Enter!" I shouted to whoever was at the door.

The heavy wooden door creaked open and Ivan walked in. "Commander!" he said with a salute, which I returned. "I wanted to apologize for how I acted at dinner when you walked in. I wasn't very professional and..."

"Ivan," I cut him off, "just because I'm your commander doesn't mean I have to be harsh with you. As long as you follow orders when I need you to follow orders, I'm a pretty nice person, so stop being so nervous." He looked at me, visibly relieved. "I don't expect you to be a Mlashdy Serzhent Yamotovich all the time," I continued. "You're allowed to just be Ivan sometimes. We all need to let our hair down once in a while. That's what tonight was supposed to be about. Get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us."

"Yes sir!" He said with a salute before jogging back down the hall. I decided I had better turn in as well. No use trying to command tired.

* * *

**AN: All of tonight's chapters constitute a single bottle episode for lack of a better term, but I split them so I didn't jump around too much in a single chapter. Next time we head to Pagorki and jump back into the action.**

******До свидания**


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